Stop setting and clearing mechanism for typewriting and like printing machines



Sept. 7, 1965 G. HOYSAK 3,204,747

STOP SETTING AND ARING' MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n 3 2 U '04 INVENTOR.

E dwqrd 6. Hoysak Attorneys Sept. 7, 1965 E. s. HOYSAK 3,204,747

STOP SETTING AND CLEARING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITING' AND LIKE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Edward 62 Hoysak Aflarneys l United States Patent STOP SETTING AND: CLEARING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITING AND LIKE PRINTING MACHINES Edward G. Hoysak, Syracuse, N.Y., assignor to SCM Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 233,240 13 Claims. (Cl. 197-179) This invention relates to an improved tabulating setting stop and clearing mechanism for movable carriage printing machines and, more specifically, to an improved tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism constructed to prevent injurious engagement between the mechanism and a moving tabulating stop supporting carriage and to prevent maladjustment of the mechanism from causing a locked carriage. This invention is particularly useful with typewriters and in the following discussion it will be described in conjunction with such a machine. It is to be understood, however, that it may also be benefically utilized in other movable carriage printing machines and that the appended claims are intended to encompass such applications of the invention.

Most, if not all, typewriters include a tabulating mechanism which permits rapid displacement of the typewriter carriage in the printing direction to a predetermined position. One form of tabulating mechanism includes a row of tabulating stops mounted on the carriage and a tabulating key actuated operating mechanism. When the tabulating key is depressed, the carriage is released and moved in the printing direction as by the conventional spring drum connected by a flexible tape to the carriage, for example. Simultaneously a stop engaging member is projected into the path of operatively positioned tabulating stops. Engagement of the operatively positioned stop with the stop engaging member halts the carriage at the desired position.

A key-operated tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism is provided to move the carriage mounted tabulating stops from inoperative to operative positions and vice versa. Such mechanisms are relatively intricate, especially in power-operated typewriters, and must be rather accurately adjusted to operate properly. Some forms of these mechanisms include stop setting and/or clearing actuators which move between the stops :and displace selected stops to the operative and/or inoperative positions. It the stop setting and clearing mechanism is not properly adjusted and the set or clear keys are depressed, the actuator will bind against the stops as it moves therebetween, locking the carriage and disabling the typewriter.

A similar undesirable result will obtain it the set or clear keys are depressed while the carriage is in motion in either the printing or the return direction. In this event, the movement of an actuator between the stops may cause substantial damage to the typewriter since the carriage is relatively massive and moves at relatively high speed, especially during tabulating and carriage return movement, and since the actuators and certain other components of the stop setting and clearing mechanism are relatively fragile.

To avoid the difiiculties discussed above, it has been suggested that the stop setting actuator (i.e., the actuator which moves the stops to their operative positions) he yieldably mounted in such a manner that it would be brushed aside by the carriage if it were operated toward the stop setting position while the carriage was moving. Arrangements of this nature are disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,157,053 issued May 2, 1939, to C. W. Crumrine for Typewriting Machine and in United States Patent No. 2,220,483 issued November 5, 1940, to E. W. Gifford for Typewriting Machine.

The tabulator mechanisms of Crumrine and Gifford are relatively complex devices. Moreover, the stop clearing actuators are not yieldably mounted and these mechanisms, therefore, provide no advantage over the earlier stop setting and clearing mechanisms (such as that shown in United States Patent No. 971,696 issued October 4, 1910, to V.A.E. Sivertsen for Typewriting Machine, for example) when the tabulator stops employed require a clearing actuator arranged to move between the stops.

The present invention provides a tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism which is substantially less complicated than those of Crumrine and G-iiford and in which both the stop setting and stop clearing actuators are yieldably mounted. As a result of this latter novel feature, locking of the carriage and/ or damage to typewriter components is prevented during both setting and clearing operations, even though both actuators move between the stops in these operations.

In general, the novel tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism provided by the present invention comprises a tabulator disabler unit including an actuator plate slidably mounted between a control plate and a support member, spaced apart stop setting and clearing actuators attached to the upper end of the actuator plate, springs yieldably biasing the actuator plate and the actuators to a normal operative position, and a rotatably mounted operating shaft to which the tabulator disabler unit is fixed.

When the tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism is in the operative position, the stop setting and clearing actuators are disposed on opposite sides of integra abutment portions formed on the stops. Depression of the tabulator set key moves the stop setting actuator against the abutment portion of the stop at which the actuator is positioned, displacing the stop to the operative or set position. As it displaces the stop, the actuator moves between the abutment portions of the inoperative or cleared stops. If the carriage is moving when the actuator moves between the cleared stops, the stops tilt the actuator in the direction of carriage movement and move it downwardly, withdrawing it from between the stops to prevent damage to them or the tabulating mechanism. After the carriage stops, the biasing springs return the actuator plate and actuators to the normal operative position.

The yieldably mounted actuator plate also prevents binding between the stop setting and clearing actuators and the tabulating stops resulting from maladjustment of the tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism. If the mechanism is incorrectly adjusted, the actuator plate will tilt slightly against the bias of the springs to accommodate any misalignment resulting from the maladjustment.

When a selected stop is cleared by depressing the tab clear key, the stop clearing actuator, moving against the opposite side of the stop abutment portion, functions in substantially the same manner as the stop setting actuator to displace the stop to its inoperative or cleared position. As it displaces the stop, it moves between the abutment portions of other set or operatively positioned stops. in this case also the tabulator disabler unit prevents carriage movement resisting engagement of the actuator and the carriage or a locked carriage engendered by binding engagement of the actuator and a stop.

Among the objects of the invention just describe-d are:

(1) The provision of an improved tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism for typewriters and other movable carriage printing macih-nes;

(2) The provision of a movable carriage printing machine tabulat-in-g stop setting and clearing mechanism having stop setting and clearing actuators and a tabulator disabler unit for preventing injurious engagement between the actuators and the carriage if the latter is moved while the actuators are in other than an inoperative position;

(3) The provision of .a mechanism for setting and clearing tabulating stops including stop setting and clearing actuators and a tabulator disabler mechanism for preventing maladjustment of the stop setting and clearing mechanism from causing .a locked carriage;

(4) The provision of a tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism having a plurality of yieldably mounted stop positioning actuators which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and maintain; and

In conjunction with the preceding objects, the provision of a tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism having a plurality of stop positioning actuators on a single yiedab'ly mounted actuator operating member.

Other objects and further novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the appended claims and as the ensuing detailed description and discussion proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the novel tabul-ating stop setting and clearing mechanism provided by the present invention with the stop setting and clearing actuators in their normal inoperative positions, a portion of a typewriter carriage mounting a row of t-abul-ating stops adapted to be set and cleared by the setting and clearing mechanism, and a portion of the key-operated mechanism actuating linkage, looking from the rear of the typewriter toward the front;

FIGURE 2 is a right-hand elevation, partly in section, of the stop setting and clearing mechanism and typewriter carriage with the stop setting actuator operated to displaoe a stop to the set position;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but with the stop clearing actuator operated to displace a stop from the set to the cleared position; and

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of the stop setting and clearing mechanism with the control plate of the disabler unit removed to show its internal arrangement.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, the novel tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism 20 of the present invention is, in the illustrated exemplary setting, mounted on a typewriter rear rail 22 which extends between and is fixed to rail supporting portions of the typewriter side frames (not shown). Tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism 20 includes a pivotally mounted tabulator disabler unit 24 operatively connected :by a keyoperated motion transmitting linkage 26 to conventional tabulating stop set and clear keys (not shown) and arranged to yieldably support tabulating stop setting and clearing actuators 28 and 30. Actuators 28 and 30' are adapted to move between inoperative and operative positions to set and clear a row of tabul-ating stop 32 (only one of which is shown) mounted on a rectilinearly movable typewriter car-ria-ge 34. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, actuators 28 and 30 are aligned along an axis 35a which is contained in a plane 35b (the edge of plane 35b is shown in FIGURE 4) that is normal to the axis 35c about which tabulator disabler unit 24 pivots.

The .typewriters set key (not shown) is operatively connected by intermediate links (not shown) and an elongated drive link 36 to the tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism motion transmitting linkage 26 which includes a crank 38 pivotally connected at its lower end to drive link 36 by a pivot stud 40. The upper end of crank 38 is fixed to a collar 42 mounted adjacent the righthand end of a pivotably mounted, horizontally extending shaft 44 by a setscrew 46 extending through collar 42 into engagement with the shaft. By loosening setscrew 46, collar 42 may be moved along shaft 44 to align drive link 36.

The right-hand end (looking from the rear of the machine toward its front as in FIGURE 1) of shaft 44 is rotatably supported from typewriter side frame 48. The left-hand end of shaft 44 is supported in a vertically extending portion 50 of a bracket 52 fixed to a base frame member (not shown) by a screw 54 and a screw (not shown) extending upwardly through the base frame member into threaded engagement with the bracket.

A fiat, plate-like detent arm 55, rotatably fixed to shaft 44 adjacent its left-hand end, is retained in the normal, inoperative position shown in FIGURE 1 by a flexible leaf spring 56 fixed to a horizontally extending portion 5-8 of bracket .52 by screws 60. A rigid arm 62, fixed to the rear end of leaf spring 56 by a stud 64, supports a horizontally extending pin 66 which is normally seated in a not-ch 68 formed in the lower edge of the generally rectangular detent arm 55. The movement of drive link 36 is transmitted through crank 38, shaft 44, and detent arm 55 to a vertically extending, adjust-able length connecting link 72 pivotally fixed to detent arm 55 by a pivot stud 74. A spring clip 76, fixed to connecting link member 78 as by a rivet 80, prevents inadvertent withdrawal of pivot stud 74 from the detent arm.

In addition to link member 78, connecting link 72 includes an elongated member 82 connected to link member 78 by screws 84 which extend through elongated slots 86 in link member 82 (only one of which is shown) into threaded engagementv with link member 78. By loosening screws 84 the length of connecting link 72 may be varied. The upper end of connecting link member 82 is connected by a pivot stud 88 to one end of tabulatordisabler unit crank arm 90.

The other end of crank arm 90 is brazed to a collar 92 fixed to .a horizontally extending shaft 94 by a setscrew 96 which permits adjustment of collar 92 along shaft 94 to align connecting link 72. As is best shown in FIGURE 1, a flat face 98 is milled on shaft 94.

Shaft 94 is rotatably mounted in a shaft supporting bracket 100 having a pair of forwardly extending, parallel, spaced apart tabs 102 and 104 provided with circular apertures 106 and 108 through which shaft 94 extends. Shaft 94 is biased against tab 104 by a coil spring 110 which surrounds shaft 94 and extends between tab 102 and a collar 112 fixed to shaft 94 by sets-crew 114. Bracket 100 is fixed to typewriter rear rail 22 by screws 116 and 118 which extend through elongated slots 120 and 122 formed at opposite ends of bracket body portion 124.

Fixed to shaft 94 between collars 92 and 112 is tabulator disabler unit 24 which includes a plate-like support member 128 having a pair of spaced apart, integral tabs 130 and 132 (see also FIGURE 4) formed adjacent its lower edge. I Shaft 94 extends through apertures 134 (one of which is shown in FIGURE 1) formed in tabs 130 and 132 and is brazed to the tabs. A forwardly extending abutment 136 formed on the lower edge of tab 132 is adapted to engage a bracket 138 fixed to a typewriter frame member (not shown) and limit clockwise, tabulating stop setting movement of tabulator disabler unit 24 and tabulating stop setting actuator 28. A laterally extending tab 139 formed adjacent the upper edge of support member 128 is adapted to engage rear rail 22 and limit the counterclockwise tabulating stop clearing movement of disabler unit 24 and clearing actuator 30.

Supported in spaced, parallel relationship to support member 128 by spacers 140 and screws 142 is a control plate 144.

Slidably mounted between support member 128 and control plate 144 is a generally fiat actuator plate 146. Ribs 148, 150, and 152 embossed in actuator plate 146 (see FIGURE 4) permit relatively friction free movement of the actuator plate relative to control plate 144 and support member 128. Actuator plate 146 is biased upwardly to a normal operative position by a pair of tension springs 154 and 156 hooked into an aperture 158 formed in a depending, integral, actuator plate arm 160. The opposite ends of springs 154 and 156 are hooked into aperture 162 and 164 formed at the opposite sides of support member 128 adjacent its lower edge.

In the normal operative position of actuator plate 146, shown in FIGURE 1, a horizontally extending pin 166 fixed adjacent its upper edges engages control plate 144 at the upper end of an inverted heart-shaped aperture 168 formed in the control plate. When actuator plate 146 is displaced from its normal operative position, its movement is guided by pin 166 and by a pin 170 which extends through a vertically elongated slot 172 formed in control plate 144 below aperture 168.

Tabulating stop clearing actuator 30 is formed as an integral part of actuator plate 146 and extends upwardly and slightly forwardly from the upper end of the actuator plate. An integral, increased width, substantially horizontal, stop engaging portion 174 is formed on its upper end.

Tabulating stop setting actuator 28 is formed of spring steel and is brazed or otherwise fastened to the rearside of actuator plate 146. Actuator 28 extends upwardly and then forward past tabulating stop clearing actuator 30 which passes through an elongated slot 176 formed in actuator 28. The upper, substantially horizontally disposed portion 178 of actuator 28 terminates in a hookshaped, stop engaging end portion 180 spaced from and on substantially the same level as the stop engaging portion 174 of stop clearing actuator 30.

Referring now to FIGURES 13, when tabulator disabler unit 24 is in the inoperative position shown in FIGURE 1, actuators 28 and 30 are operatively associated with a tabulating stop 32, their stop engaging portions 180 and 174 being disposed on opposite sides of an actuator engageable tabulating stop abutment portion 182 connected to the generally rectangular tabulating stop main body portion 183 by an integral connecting portion 184. Tabulating stops 32, only one of which is shown, are mounted for sliding movement in a direction normal to the direction of carriage movement between lower and upper stop mounting bars 186 and 188 rigidly fastened to the carriage framework indicated generally by reference character 190. The upper and lower edges of tabulating stop main body portions 183 are received in vertically aligned slots 192 and 194 formed in upper and lower rails 188 and 186, respectively.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, each tabulating stop 32 is retained in its inoperative (cleared) position and in its operative (set) position by a bifurcated leaf spring 196 fastened to the upper surface of tabulating stop mounting bar 188 by a bar-shaped spring anchor 198 and a screw 200 which extends through the bar anchor and spring 196 into threaded engagement with bar 188. When tabulating stop 32 is in the cleared position, the free end of spring 196 engages its upper edge 202, pressing the stop against a circularly sectioned rod 204 seated in a semicircular groove 206 formed in the upper surface of lower tabulating stop supporting rail 186 and in a notch 208 formed in the lower edge of the stop, When tabulating stop 32 is in the set position (see FIGURE 2), rod 204 is similarly seated in a notch 210 formed in the lower edge of the stop adjacent notch 208.

As was indicated above, typewriter carriage 34 is mounted for rectilinear movement parallel to typewriter rear rail 22. The carriage framework 190 is supported from typewriter rear rail 22 by bearings indicated generally by reference character 214. The forward edge of carriage framework 190 is similarly supported from a frame member (not shown) at the front of the typewriter.

With reference first to FIGURE 1, the operation of the tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism described above is as follows: carriage 34 is moved relative to typewriter rear rail 22 until actuators 28 and 30 are positioned in alignment with the abutment portion 182 of the tabulating stop 32 which it is desired to set or clear. Assuming that the selected stop is to be set, the tabulator set key (not shown) is depressed. The tabulator set key, acting through an intermediate linkage (likewise not shown),

moves drive link 36 toward the front of the typewriter '(as indicated by the solid arrow in FIGURE 1), rotating crank arm 38, shaft 44, and detent arm 55 in a clockwise direction.

As detent "arm 55 rotates, it cams pin 66 partially out of notch 68 against the bias of spring 56 and pulls connecting link 72 downwardly, rotating crank arm 90, shaft "94, and tabulator disabler unit 24 in a clockwise direction in bracket 100. As tabulating disabler unit 24 rotates, tabulator stop setting actuator 28 moves toward the rear of the typewriter and its stop engaging portion 180 en gages the forward edge of tabulating stop 32. Continued rearward movement of setting actuator 28 displaces the -tabulating stop rearwardly from the cleared position of FIGURE 3 to the set position of FIGURE 2 in which rod 204 seats in the notch 210 formed in the stop. The spring steel from which stop setting actuator 28 is formed allows the actuator to yield downwardly as stop 32 is cam-med over rod 204 so that relatively little force is required to set the stop.

Substantially coincidentally with the arrival of the selected tabulating stop 32 at its set position, the clockwise movement -of tabulator disabler unit 24 is terminated by the-engagement of the projection 136 formed at the lower edge of support member 128 with typewriter frame member 138. I

When the tabulator set key is released, drive link 36 is biased toward the rear of the typewriter by the set key return spring "(not shown), rotating crank arm 38, shaft 44, and detent arm 55 in a counterclockwise direction. The counterclockwise movement of detent arm 55, transmitted through link 72, pivots crank arm 90, shaft 94, and tabulator disabler unit 24 counterclockwise, returning them to the inoperative position of FIGURE 1. As the stop setting and clearing mechanism 20 reaches its inoperative position, leaf spring 56 seats pin 66 in the notch '68 formed in detent arm 55 to retain the mechanism in the inoperative position.

To clear a selected tabulating stop 32, typewriter carriage 34 is moved relative to typewriter rear rail 22 until the abutment portion 182 of the selected stop is positioned "between the tabulating stop setting and clearing actuators '28 and 30. The tabulator clear key (not shown) is then depressed which, through an intermediate linkage (likewise not shown), moves drive link 36 toward the rear of the typewriter, pivoting crank arm 38, shaft 44, and detent arm 55 in a counterclockwise direction and camming pin 66 partially out of notch 68 against the bias of spring '56.

The counterclockwise movement of detent arm 55 moves link 72 upwardly, rotating crank arm 90, shaft 94, and tabulator disabler unit 24 in a counterclockwise direction in bracket 100. As the tabulator disabler unit 24 rotates, the stop engaging portion '174 of tabulating stop clearing actuator '30 engages the rear edge of stop abutment portion 182, moving tabulating stop 32 forwardly from the set position of FIGURE 2 to the cleared position of FIGURE 3. When tabulating stop 32 reaches the cleared position, rod 204 seats in notch 208 of the tabulating stop to retain it in the cleared position. The counterclockwise movement of tabulator disabler unit 24 is terminated when stop 32 reaches the cleared position -by the engagement of the arm 139 formed at the upper edge of tabulator disabler unit support member 128 with typewriter rear rail 22.

The tabulator clear key (not shown) is then released. The clear key return spring (likewise not shown) drives link 36 toward the front-of the typewriter, pivoting crank arm 38, shaf t 44, and detent arm 55 in a clockwise direction. The clockwise movement of detent arm 55 moves connecting link 72 downwardly, pivoting crank arm 90, "shaft '94, and tabulator disabler unit 24 in a clockwise direction in bracket from the position of FIGURE 3 to the normal, inoperative position of FIGURE 1. As the tabulator disabler unit approaches the inoperative position, spring 56 again seats pin 66 innotch 68 of detent arm 55 to retain tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism 20 in the inoperative position of FIGURE 1.

At times it may be desired to simultaneously clear all of the tabulating stops 32. For this purpose, a total tabulating stop clearing member 218 is provided. Clearing member 218 extends through downwardly opening apertures 220 formed in tabulating stops 32 adjacent their forward ends and is rotatably supported by brackets (not shown) fixed to lower tabulating stop supporting bar 186. Tabulator stop clearing member 218 is rotated by a control member (not shown) mounted on typewriter carriage framework 190 outwardly of the right carriage end cover (not shown). When the control member is depressed, clearing member 218 is rotated in a clockwise direction (with reference to FIGURES 2 and 3), engaging the tabulating stop portions 222 at the forward edge of recesses 220 and displacing all set tabulating stops 32 to the cleared position of FIGURE 3.

As was pointed out above, it is one of the novel features of the present invention that tabulator disabler unit 24 will function to withdraw tabulating stop setting and clearing actuators 28 and 30 from between tabulating stops 32 if either of these actuators are moved from their .inoperative positions while typewriter carriage 34 is moving. Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, springs 154 and 156 permit actuator plate'146 to rock (or tilt) and to move vertically downwardly between support member 128 and control plate 144. If the tabulator set or clear keys are depressed while the carriage is .moving, positioning tabulating stop setting actuator 28 or the clearing actuator 30 between tabulating stop abutment portions 182, the stop abutment portion will rock ,the actuator engaging portion and, therefore, actuator plate 146 downwardly and in the direction of carriage movement, withdrawing the actuator from between the .stops. The downward, rocking planar movement of actuator plate 146 is guided by the cooperation of actuartor plate mounted pin 166 andthe inverted heart-shaped aperture 168 in control plate 144 and by the cooperation of actuator plate mounted pin 170 and the vertically elongated slot 172 in control plate 144. When the car- -riage is halted, springs 154 and 156 will rotate actuator plate 146 back to its vertical position and move it upwardly to its normal operative position with pin 166 engaging control plate 144 at the upper end of aperture .168. It will be readily apparent from the foregoing description and from an inspection of the drawing, that the same action obtains whether the setting actuator or the clearing actuator is positioned between the tabulating stops and whether the carriage is moving in the printing or in the return direction.

Tabulator disabler unit 24 also prevents maladjustment of tabulating stop setting and clearing mechanism 20 from causing a locked carriage. If setting and clearing actuators 28 and 30 'were rigidly mounted for pivotal movement in a plane normal to shaft 94 and were improperly adjusted laterally of tabulating stops 32, depression of the set or clear keys would move one of the actuators against the side of a tabulating stop abutment portion 182, binding the actuator against the stop and locking the carriage. By employing the novel tabulator disabler unit 24 described above this problem is eliminated since, if the actuators are not properly adjusted relative to tabulating stops 32, the actuatorplate will tilt slightly when the set or clear key is depressed to move the corresponding actuator toward the stop, allowing it to wipe harmlessly over the stop abutment portion 182.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description,

and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing machine, a movable carriage with a plurality of tabulating stops thereon, a tabulating stop positioning actuator movable between said stops, biasing means continuously urging said actuator in an upward direction to an operative position wherein said actuator is adapted to engage selected ones of said stops, and disabler means operative solely by carriage movement for rocking said actuator downwardly from between said stops against the force exerted by said biasing means to prevent carriage movement resisting engagement of said actuator and said stops.

2. Ina tabulating mechanism for a printing machine, a movable carriage, a row of tabulating stops on said carriage, a stop positioning actuator pivotable about a fixed axis to position selected ones of said stops, and means for preventing carriage movement resisting engagement of said actuator and said stops by effecting a solely planar movement of said actuator out of engagement with said stops.

, 3. In a printing machine having a carriage with a plurality of tabulating stops thereon, tabulator stop setting and clearing actuators relatively fixed for concurrent movement and tabulator disabler means permitting yielding movement of said actuators relative to said carriage to prevent carriage movement resisting engagement of said actuators and said stops.

4. In a printing machine, a rectilinearly movable carriage having a row of tabulating stops thereon, and means for setting and clearing said stops including relatively fixed tabulating stop setting and clearing actuators mounted to concurrent movement from an inoperative position in paths substantially normal to the direction of carriage movement to set and clear said stops, said actuators being displaceable from said paths by said carriage upon movement of said carriage with said actuators in other than said inoperative position.

5. In a printing machine, a row of tabulating stops, tabulating stop setting and clearing actuators relatively fixed for concurrent movement and disposed on opposite sides of said rows of stops, said row of stops and said actuators being relatively movable longitudinally of said row to select a stop to be set or cleared and relatively -movable transversely of and between stops in said row to set or clear the selected stop; and means for displacing -movement resisting engagement with said stops.

7. In a printing machine having a movably mounted carriage with a plurality of taubulating stops thereon, stop setting and clearing actuators relatively fixed for concurrent movement and movable into engagement with a selected stop to set or clear said step, key activated means for operating said actuators, and means operated by movement of said carriage for automatically disabling said operating means and moving said actuators out of carriage movement resisting engagement with said stops.

8. In a typewriter having a movably mounted carriage with a plurality of tabulating stops thereon, means for setting and clearing said stops including disruptable operating means and setting and clearing actuators relatively fixed for concurrent movement operatively connected to said operating means,.said actuators being rendered effec- 9 tive by movement of said carriage after actuation of said operating means to disrupt said operating means.

9. In combination, a plurality of tabulating stops, means supporting said stops, and stop setting and clearing means, relatively fixed for concurrent movement, said stop setting and clearing means and said supporting means being relatively movable longitudinally of said supporting means to select a stop to be set or cleared, said setting and clearing means including a pivotable control plate, stop setting and clearing actuators, means mounting said actuators for movement in planes substantially parallel to each other and to said plate, and means for yieldably holding said actuators in an operative position, said yieldable holding means, said mounting means and said actuators being so constructed and arranged that said actuators can yield and wipe harmlessly over said stops when said supporting means and said stop setting and clearing means are moved relative to each other with said actuators in other than an inoperative position.

10. In combination, a plurality of tabulating stops; means supporting said stops; and stop setting and clearing means, said stop setting and clearing means and said supporting means being relatively movable longitudinally of said supporting means to select a stop to be set or cleared, said stop setting and clearing means including a pivotable control plate, a pivotable support member mounting said control plate and spaced therefrom, stop setting and clearing actuators, an actuator plate between said support member and said control plate mounting said actuators for movement parallel to said control plate, said actuator plate and said control plate including pin and slot guide means permitting limited magnitude, universal direction, planar movement of said actuator plate and establishing the operative position of said actuators, and means for yieldably holding said actuators in an operative position comprising a pair of springs extending between said support member and said actuator plate and biasing said actuators toward said operative position, said yieldable holding means, said mounting means, and said actuators thereby being so constructed and arranged that said actuators can yield and wipe harmlessly over said stops when said stop supporting means and said stop set- 10 ting and clearing means are moved relative to each other with said actuators in other than an inoperative position.

11. A stop setting and clearing device, comprising: a pivotally mounted tabulator disabler unit including a control plate, a support member fixed in spaced relation thereto, and an actuator plate slidable between said support member and said control plate and having an operative position relative thereto; means yieldably biasing said actuator plate toward said operative position; and stop setting and clearing actuators fixed to said actuator plate for concurrent movement.

12. The stop setting and clearing device as defined in claim 11, wherein said stop setting and clearing actuators have spaced apart stop engaging portions aligned along an axis contained in a plane normal to the axis about which said disabler unit pivots.

13. A stop setting and clearing device, comprising: a pivotally mounted tabulator disabler unit including a control plate having an inverted heart-shaped aperture formed therein and a vertical slot therein below said aperture, 2. support member fixed in spaced relation to said control plate, an actuator plate slidable between said support member and said control plate and having an operative position relative thereto, first and second pins fixed to said actuator plate and extending through the aperture and slot in the control plate, respectively, a pair of springs connected between said support member and said actuator plate and biasing said first pin against said control plate at the upper end of said aperture; and stop setting and clearing actuators fixed to said actuator plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 971,696 10/10 Sivertsen et al. 197-179 2,099,011 11/37 Gabrielson et a1. 197179 2,157,053 5/39 Crumrine 197-179 X 2,220,483 11/ 40 Gifford 197179 FOREIGN PATENTS 524,757 8/40 Great Britain.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PRINTING MACHINE, A MOVABLE CARRIAGE WITH A PLUARLITY OF TABULATING STOPS THEREON, A TABULATING STOP POSITIONING ACTUATOR MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID STOPS, BIASING MEANS CONTINUOUSLY URING SAID ACTUATOR IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION TO AN OPERATIVE POSITIONWHEREIN SAID ACTUATOR IS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SELECTED ONES OF SAID STOPS, AND DISABLE MEANS OPERATIVE SOLELY BY CARRIAGE MOVEMENT FOR ROCKING SAID ACTUATOR DOWNWARDLY FROM BETWEEN SAID STOPS AGAINST THE FORCE EXERTED BY SAID BIASING MEANS TO PREVENT CARRIAGE MOVEMENT RESISTING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ACTUATOR AND SAID STOPS. 